Keep an Eye on Your Loved One With Alzheimer’s With Balance App

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Taking care of an elderly family member is tough, especially when you can't be there all the time. It's even tougher when that person has health issues. Balance is a new app from the National Alzheimer Center that hopes to help those caring for people with Alzheimer's, so they can know what's going on all the time - even when they're not physically there.

The app facilitates ongoing communication among multiple caregivers (for example, a child of the patient with Alzheimer's, the patient's doctor and the patient's nurse), so all participants can track and share changes in real-time. That way, if something changes with the patient's condition at 2 p.m., you won't have to wait until your checkup at 5 p.m. to get briefed on the details.

Balance also gives updates on the latest developments in the disease and gives info on what to expect as the disease progresses. It goes step by step through Alzheimer's teaching caregivers about the stages of the disease and how to care for a loved one. A virtual pill box lets caregivers manage daily medications by inputting the names, dosages and refill dates of the medications, as well as notifications on when to give the medication.

Users can manage the patient's schedule and share that calendar with other caregivers' calendars, as well as share with other family members, so you all can figure out a system for who will be with the loved one at what time. If you notice a change in your loved one's behavior, mood or activity, you can track those changes in a log, then share it with the doctor in real-time.

Balance is available in Apple's App Store for $3.99. We hope it comes to Google Play too, so more users can utilize this helpful app.

This story was provided by Laptopmag.com, a sister site to LiveScience.